The 10-strong taskforce consists of mainly policy and planning experts with the industry’s volume house builders or contractors failing to get a seat.
The taskforce will now meet on a monthly basis, reporting back in 12 months with recommended locations for the next generation of new towns, which the Government hopes will help it meet its 1.5m new homers target over five years.
New Towns Taskforce
- Sir Michael Lyons is the Chair. Also non-ex chair of the English Cities Fund
- Dame Kate Barker is the Deputy Chair. Also author of independent policy review of UK Housing Supply in 2004
- Bill Hughes is Global Head of Real Assets and Co-Head of Private Markets at Legal & General
- Dame Diane Coyle is an economist and Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge.
- Eamonn Boylan has over 40 years of expertise in local government – presently interim chain of Manchester City Council
- Helen is the CEO of Grainger, the UK’s largest publicly listed residential landlord and Build to Rent developer.
- Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation
- Nick Raynsford, former Labour housing minister and current President of the Town and Country Planning Association
- Sowmya Parthasarathy is an architect and urban designer at Arup
- Dr Wei Yang is a town planner and urban designer. Chair of the Construction Industry Council and past-president of the Royal Town Planning Institute
Taskforce members will be supported in full by MHCLG and Homes England, as well as civil servants across all government departments and agencies.
Taskforce members will lead five workstreams, covering: the strategic case for new towns; location identification and selection; placemaking; design and standards; funding, risk and institutional investment; and unlocking delivery and innovation.
After the Taskforce’s inaugural meeting yesterday, Rayner said: “Today marks a momentous step in our journey to deliver the next generation of new towns and transform the lives of millions of working people in every part of the country.
“With a strong team of experts standing by his side, I have every confidence in Sir Michael’s leadership and his taskforce is working at pace to make sure our long-term ambition becomes a reality.”
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